Solar is Now More Accessible Than Ever Before

By Evelyn Witterholt, RCS Reporter. 

Solar expert, Mark Gies breaks down how solar is more accessible and why metal roofs are the best place to mount solar panels. 

With the solar industry growing rapidly over the course of the last decade, more and more roofing contractors are looking for ways to offer solar services to potential clients. We recently sat down with Mark Gies, director of solar business at S-5!, who gave us the inside scoop about the growth of the industry and how S-5! can help contractors looking to get into solar. 

Mark has worked in the solar industry for a dozen years, but for the last two years, he has been working with S-5! There, he’s been helping them make their products more innovative and durable for all kinds of metal roofs. 

“A metal roof is really the best place to mount solar,” Mark says. “The main reason for that is the durability of a metal roof. A metal roof can last 60-70 years or more and a solar asset is 30-35 plus years. To put that asset on a roof that may only last 15 years or so is a mismatch.” 

S-5! offers metal roof attachment systems that are rigorously tested to be highly durable and last the full life of the solar — and roof. Mark explained to us that their solar mounting systems are not one size fits all, but each one is designed to perform the best for a specific metal roof profile. That way, no matter what kind of roof you have, you’ll know that the clamp (or bracket) you get is exactly the one you need — at a cost savings. 

But S-5!  does not just sell you a solar mounting product or metal roof attachment and leave you unsure of what to do with it. They help their customers every step of the way to ensure their products are engineered for the specific roof profile and used to their most cost effectiveness, all things considered.  

“I've hosted webinars that people can watch on-demand that talk about our rail-less, direct-attach system,” Mark tells us. “We are always on the phone with our customers. We really do spend a lot of time providing support.” He also states that whoever you speak to on the support line is an expert in the field, and they will get you the answers you need. 

Solar used to seem like an inaccessible option, economically speaking. But Mark tells us that it is more accessible to consumers and contractors than ever before. He likens the solar industry to the computer industry. Before, you’d have to spend thousands of dollars to get a decent computer, but now you only need to spend a couple hundred. 

Mark states that a decade ago, “We'd put solar on your roof and in 10-12 years, it would be paid for... Now, it's like, I'll put this on your roof and three years from now it's going to be paid for, and from then on it's free power for the next 30 years.” 

With solar panels now being mandated on new construction homes in California, Mark believes that it’s worth it for metal roof contractors to start offering solar services. And S-5! can help them every step of the way. 

Learn more about S-5! in their RoofersCoffeeShop® Directory or visit www.S-5.com.